Jacksmith Wiki:Blocking Guidelines
Blocking, also known as banning, is an administrative action that prevents an IP account or registered user from editing on the wiki. The duration of blocks may vary, depending on the severity of the offense committed. These guidelines should be used as the general standards for determining block durations, but administrators should use their own discretion on a case-by-case basis. Also remember that, regardless of the individual in question, blocks should apply to everyone equally. It must be noted that blocks are not to be discussed by the community. Administrators and Bureaucrats will decide on whether or not a block is necessary. __TOC__ Vandalism Vandalism is the most common reason for blocks on the wiki, and is defined as any edits made out of bad faith. This includes adding inappropriate or nonsensical words to articles, blanking pages, creating spam pages, purposefully changing correct information, and uploading inappropriate, pornographic, or spam images. Users who commit vandalism should be warned first, and then blocked for at least three days if the non-constructive edits continue. Repeat offenders may be blocked for two weeks, one month, and then one year, for the second, third, and fourth infractions, respectively. Vandalism is generally carried out by unregistered contributors. Due to the fickle nature of IP addresses, unregistered contributors should never be blocked for more than a year. Vandalism of other wikis in this wiki's name will also result in a block here, even if the user was not blocked on the wiki he/she vandalized. If the vandalism is extreme, such as vandalizing the main page, then the vandal is blocked indefinitely with no warning. Repeated Vandalism may also be reported to Wikia's VSTF Team, who may decide further action is warranted. Personal attacks Personal attacks of any kind are not permitted on the wiki, as stated on the Policy Page. Inciting or participating in flame wars is also considered a violation of this rule. A stern warning should be given prior to a block. If the attacks continue, the user may be blocked for at least one week if the user committed multiple personal attacks. Users who are blocked on the basis of personal attacks for more than five times may be subject to becoming indefinitely blocked. Due to the varying severity that personal attacks can have, administrators should use their own discretion when selecting a block duration. Vulgarity Mature language is not allowed on the wiki, as the wiki is targeted by a young audience. Users who are overly vulgar in discussions should be warned. After multiple warnings, a short block should be issued. Repeat as necessary. Extreme vulgarity such as racism, homophobia, or any other kind of hate speech will be dealt with much more severely and the user risks being banned indefinitely. Copyright infringement Users who upload leaked or copyrighted files to the wiki should be warned about doing so. Continuing to upload these types of files after being warned will result in at least a one month block. Inappropriate username Usernames that impersonate or strongly resemble another user, contain profanity or obscene language, or falsely portray one as being a third-party representative or organization (i.e. User:InfinityWardStaff), may be blocked indefinitely with no warning. Spam Spamming links to external sites or advertising of any kind is prohibited under most circumstances. Users are free to discuss or promote things in their own blog posts or other casual discussions, but they cannot come to the wiki for the sole purpose of advertising. Users or unregistered contributors who appear to be using the wiki purely for the sake of promoting unrelated things should be warned. Further offenses should result in fairly long blocks. Category:Policies